Shillingford said the diplomat’s death is questionable, especially considering he was supposed to give some level of evidence in a case made against him and several others.

“It is strange for Antigua’s most senior diplomat to be implicated and die under such troubling circumstances,” the lawyer said.

Ashe was reportedly killed by a barbell weight in his home in Dobbs Ferry New York on June 22nd, while he remained under investigation over corruption claims by US authorities.

The former UN ambassador, who served as general assembly president from 2013 to 2014 – was arrested in October, accused of taking US$1.3m in bribes from Chinese businessmen. Seven people have been charged to date, three of whom have pleaded guilty.

Prosecutors said Ashe allegedly received more than $500,000 in bribes from billionaire Macau real estate developer Ng Lap Seng to seek UN support of a United Nations-sponsored conference centre in Macau.